Chinese semiconductor industry

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Weaasel

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From global times As I said Chinese semiconductor machinery development was slow due to reluctance on Chinese semiconductor fab to buy Chinese product But now with this embargo they have no choice
Anybody know this company Huachuang Technology ?
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China’s chip industry must carve out a niche of its own amid US pummeling
By Xiang Ligang Source:Global Times Published: 2020/5/18 21:16:38

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Workers of HC Semitek, a leading Chinese LED chip maker, produce chips at its subsidiary in Yiwu in East China's Zhejiang Province. (Photo: Yang Hui/GT)
Recently, the US Department of Commerce announced that it would revise the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) to restrict Huawei's ability to design and manufacture semiconductors overseas using U.S. technology and software. There is no doubt that this is an unprecedented challenge for Huawei and even for China's semiconductor industry. Can China bear the pressure and take the initiative in the future?

To answer this question, on one hand, it depends on whether there is enough space for Huawei to survive; on the other it depends on how Huawei and China's science and technology industry make strategic arrangements in the future.

In the current situation, Huawei still has room to develop. Although communication systems also face the same pressure, the situation is not as serious as what's been expected. In general, the chip quantity of communication systems is small with an annual output of only one million in terms of base stations. Huawei is that clear about the current all-around pummeling its got recent years that it might have already started to stock its products, and still has a 120-day buffer period.

In addition, Huawei has also made 5G base stations without American products at all. Chinese enterprises can also be competent regarding original equipment manufacturers (OEM) as most of the communication system equipment does not have chip requirements as high as mobile phones do.

However, Huawei's mobile phone business will be greatly affected by the pummeling as foreign chips play an essential part in Huawei's phone production. But Huawei's next-generation mobile phone chip - the Kirin 1020 SoC - is supposed to be under production according to the current manufacturing process. With a buffer period of 120 days, Mate 40's chips can meet the demand.

For a while, Huawei can transfer part of its production capacity to enterprises like SMIC. In addition, TSMC is also actively seeking to obtain licenses from the US. Huawei can also seek to buy chips from Qualcomm, MediaTek and other enterprises to maintain the supply capacity of mobile phone products.

In the long run, even if TSMC gets a license and remains a Huawei OEM for the time being, China must abandon its illusions and make up its mind to build up its entire chip industry chain. In this respect, China has accumulated and gained some advantages.

First of all, today, China is the largest single market in the world, with the annual sales volume of mobile phones reaching 400 million. Moreover, China is also the country with the largest production and sales volume in the world in terms of personal computers (PC) and various intelligent products. Its domestic market alone can support the chip industry to develop. China's products also occupy a large share in the global market.

Second, China has made a major breakthrough in the field of chip design, and its design ability is basically in line with world-class levels. Today, China already has many chip design companies and has accumulated a full range of products. China has many products including video chips and other aspects as well.

Third, integrated circuit manufacturing companies are China's drawbacks in its chip industry, but it doen't mean that China has not developed itself in this industry. SMIC is also a well-known chip foundry enterprise, and currently has a mass production capacity of 14-nm chip. An important reason why SMIC's technology has been slow in the past was the lack of sufficient customers. If Huawei shifts more production capacity to SMIC, it will have a major breakthrough in research and development and production capacity.

Last but not least, China can also make breakthroughs in the field of lithography if the market is enough. Chinese companies such as Huachuang Technology also have certain know-how accumulation in the etching machine and lithography machine markets. However, their general strengths are still not strong enough and have drawbacks, such as lack of market and cost-effective large-scale investments. If there is a stable market, the progress of research and development will accelerate to make a breakthrough.


Therefore, China should try its best to find various opportunities to ensure Huawei's production capacity in the near future, integrate the capabilities of all parties in the industry chain and accelerate breakthroughs in the entire chip sector in the long run.

The author is director-general of the Beijing-based Information Consumption Alliance. [email protected]


So why did the Chinese government not establish a major company or companies for the express purposes of making semiconductor manufacturing equipment, wafers, high IC chips, and also the electronic and machinery appliances that consume the chips.
 

superdog

Junior Member
More evidence emerges that the TSMC ban is far less severe than we thought at first.

From The Economist.

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My conclusion is that America either shows its serious and implements Iran level sanctions on Huawei, or it will let this fade into the background and hope ppl forget about it.

What is more interesting is the frenzied reaction it provoked on this forum (of which I was a part of). I think there is the assumption that America is just itching to go to 100% because of all the shit it talks. Chronic pessimism, so to say.
I don't think that's correct. Huawei operates their own assembly lines, I've visited their factory in Shenzhen personally. They do use OEM services but their high end smartphone products are made in-house. Customers also don't buy Huawei product from an OEM, they buy it from huawei directly or from huawei approved retailers. I find that paragraph ridiculous.

Anyway that's not important. It's neither a major obstacle if the US really wanted to ban everything, nor the only excuse if they decide to quietly back down.
 

ZeEa5KPul

Colonel
Registered Member
I think they need to introduce the new power source faster than 2022. Mean time see how much money Samsung plow into this semi conductor business
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Samsung Takes Another Step in $116 Billion Plan to Take on TSMC
Sohee Kim
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May 20, 2020, 9:00 PM CDT

(Bloomberg) -- Samsung Electronics Co. has begun building a cutting-edge chip production line intended to help it take on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in the business of making silicon for external clients.
South Korea’s largest company said it’s started construction on a 5-nanometer fabrication facility in Pyeongtaek, south of Seoul, dedicated to its made-to-order foundry business, an arena TSMC dominates. Based on the Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography or EUV process, Samsung expects the fab’s output to go toward applications from 5G networking to high-performance computing from the second half of 2021, it said in a statement.

Samsung, the world’s largest maker of computer memory, smartphones and displays, in 2019 outlined its aim of spending $116 billion to compete with TSMC and Intel Corp. in contract chipmaking, making silicon for customers like Qualcomm Inc. or Nvidia Corp. Its announcement on Thursday coincides with the announcement of restrictions on the sale of semiconductors made with American gear to China’s Huawei Technologies Co., a constraint that threatens more than a tenth of TSMC’s business.
“This will enable us to break new ground while driving robust growth for Samsung’s foundry business,” ES Jung, head of the contract chipmaking division, said in a statement.

Samsung first unveiled its expansion blueprint in April 2019, outlining at the time its goal of hiring thousands and ramping up investment in logic chips in the years leading up to 2030. That initiative arose as sales of smartphones and consumer electronics plateaued and competition from Chinese rivals depressed margins.
EUV is the latest and most advanced chipmaking method, requiring machines costing tens of millions of dollars and delivering better precision and performance in the chips it produces. TSMC and Samsung, through its spending plan, are the leaders in developing that process and expanding into 5nm and smaller manufacturing nodes.

Before the arrival Covid-19, Samsung had begun collaborating with major clients on designing and manufacturing custom chips and that work was already starting to add to its revenue, a Samsung executive has said. The company’s newest fab in Pyeongtaek joins another 5nm facility in Hwaseong that will begin production in the second half of this year.
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That's $115 billion over 10 years.
 

Hendrik_2000

Lieutenant General
So why did the Chinese government not establish a major company or companies for the express purposes of making semiconductor manufacturing equipment, wafers, high IC chips, and also the electronic and machinery appliances that consume the chips.

That is million dollar question .But their priority is to develop the FAB first since China chip import is so large exceeding the oil import. I guess they underestimate the viciousness of Trump administration.
It is not easy to develop the semi fabrication industry from scratch. As China does not have the technology and enter the digital age very very late. First you have to develop the technology

They certainly support the R&D in various university, Chinese academy of science and technology, defense research institution etc. Various grant and venture capital supported by government. Loan guarantee. But the field is so large Government alone cannot do it

Fortunately the private industry and venture capitalist step up the plate and get involve But as in military you cannot do it overnight It will take time . but I think they have no choice but speed up the development

Anyway here is some good news from global time
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Huawei Kirin 710A chip achieves mass production
Source:Global Times Published: 2020/5/11 16:00:53
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Consumers check out Huawei gadgets at a store in Qingdao, East China's Shandong Province on Friday. Photo: VCG

The Huawei Kirin 710A chip, based on 14-nanometer semiconductor technology, has achieved commercial mass production. It is the first pure Chinese chip with independent intellectual property rights.

Produced by the Shanghai-based Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), the chips have a main frequency of 2.0 GHz, domestic financial news site chinastarmarket.cn reported on Monday.

It reported that almost every employee at SMIC Shanghai had received an Honor Play 4T smartphone on Sunday, with "Powered by SMIC FinFET" printed on the back. The phones showcases the commercialization of 14-nm FinFET chips made by SMIC.


Huawei's chip arm HiSilicon declined to confirm or deny the report when reached by the Global Times on Monday.

Sun Yanbiao, head of Shenzhen-based research firm N1mobile, told the Global Times on Monday that research staff from both sides began exchanges on the project last year.

"The successful mass production benefits Huawei, as using chips provided by a manufacturer located in the Chinese mainland could help it reduce its reliance on Taiwan-based semiconductor maker TSMC, which will cushion shocks from China-US trade conflicts," Sun said.

Previously, all chips for Huawei mobile devices were designed by HiSilicon, and then manufactured by TSMC. But foreign media reported the US plans to prevent TSMC from selling chips to Huawei, which was put on the US' Entity List in May 2019.

As a chipmaker with high hopes of localizing chip manufacturing in the mainland and becoming an alternative to TSMC, SMIC announced on May 5 that it would apply to list on the sci-tech innovation board, a new Nasdaq-style tech board in Shanghai.

Following the news of mass production, A-shares relevant to chip manufacturing equipment lithography strengthened on Monday.

Shenzhen DongDa Photosensitive Science & Technology Co rose by the daily limit of 10 percent to 68.53 yuan ($9.68) per share, and Anji Microelectronics Technology Co rose by 6.54 percent to 280.05 yuan.

Global Times
 

Vichysoy

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i think many people are waiting this break new !
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Chinese firm's ArF photoresist makes major breakthrough and can be used for 7nm process

Today, Jiangsu Nata Opto said that the company's ArF photoresist is on track for customer testing, which means that China's ArF photoresist technology has made an important breakthrough, moving from R&D to production.

According to Nata's previous information, the company started developing the 193nm photoresist project in 2017 and has been awarded the project "02 Special Project" by the State.

The company plans to reach an annual production capacity of 25 tons of 193nm (ArF dry and submerged) photoresist products that will meet the demand standards of the integrated circuit industry through three years of construction, production and sales.
 

PiSigma

"the engineer"
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Seems like China is playing the lay low strategy here. Getting pieces of critical technology ready slowly, methodically and quietly so don't make US panic. Once US cut China off, it won't matter because they started 10-20 years ago on development already. Kinda like how j20 sprang a suprise on everyone.
 
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